Chapter 349 : Childhood Friend vs. Newcomer
“Running away with Ling Ning isn’t exciting at all~”
Hiding in a corner next to the villa, Bai Yiyue spoke with mock exasperation, watching Ling Ning catch her breath against the wall. “Every time we run, those chasing us always seem to have some accident. There’s none of the thrill I used to feel being pursued.”
Hearing this, Ling Ning glared at Bai Yiyue. “If you’re after thrills, I can take you back there and let you run all over again—alone this time!”
“Don’t be like that. I was just kidding~ Having Ling Ning by my side makes me feel so at ease!” Bai Yiyue said, inching closer to Ling Ning. Such rare opportunities weren’t to be wasted.
Ling Ning, still catching her breath, didn’t notice Bai Yiyue’s mischievous approach.
“Mm!”
Feeling a soft sensation against her lips, Ling Ning froze, staring at Bai Yiyue’s face, now inches from hers.
She’d let her guard down!
She’d been cautiously keeping an eye on this perverted childhood friend but had relaxed for just a moment—just long enough for this to happen again.
When their lips finally parted, Ling Ning glared at Bai Yiyue, her voice filled with frustration. “Enough! Why do you always pull this? Don’t you ever get tired of it?”
“How could I? Even if I kissed you for a lifetime, I’d never tire of it. Besides, it’s not like you’re willing to go further~”
“You… I… I’ve never seen anyone as shameless as you!”
“Well, now you have.”
Just as Ling Ning opened her mouth to scold Bai Yiyue further, Zhou Xiaoxiao and Ling Ye’s voices echoed from nearby. Ling Ning shot Bai Yiyue a warning glare and hissed, “Behave yourself in front of everyone, got it?”
“Oh~ Got it. Does that mean when no one’s around, I can…?”
Ignoring Bai Yiyue’s teasing, Ling Ning stormed out of the corner.
Watching Ling Ning leave, Bai Yiyue’s lips curled into a seductive smile.
“Ah, Ling Ning! There you are! I thought you’d been caught!” Zhou Xiaoxiao exclaimed as she approached. She paused, tilting her head in confusion. “But… Ling Ning, why does your face look so red?”
“I-I was just out of breath from running! Anyway, why are you all up here? I was planning to come back down after everyone left.” Ling Ning stammered, clearly flustered.
“Well, I figured it was about time. Plus, you’re supposed to be in charge of tonight’s barbecue, right? I thought I’d come up and see if you needed help,” Zhou Xiaoxiao explained.
“Fine, fine. Let’s get started.”
The group headed into the villa. The barbecue grill was stored inside and simply needed to be moved outside. The main tasks were preparing ingredients and making sauces.
The groceries had been purchased earlier in the day. Now it was just a matter of cutting and skewering.
“Hmm? Where’s the soy sauce?”
As Ling Ning sorted through the ingredients, she realized she’d forgotten to buy soy sauce.
“Xia You, could you run into town and grab some soy sauce for me? Oh, and while you’re there, could you pick up…”
Ling Ning rattled off a list of items. Xia You’s expression turned wry as the list grew longer. Realizing she might have overdone it, Ling Ning awkwardly smiled and quickly wrote everything down on a piece of paper.
Even though most of the items were small, carrying them all along with the soy sauce would be a challenge for Xia You alone.
Just as Ling Ning began to worry, Bai Yiyue stood up.
“Need help with anything, Ling Ning?”
Seeing everyone else busy, even Ling Ye cleaning the grill, Bai Yiyue felt guilty sitting idle. She jumped at the chance to help when she saw Ling Ning looking troubled.
“You!?”
Ling Ning hesitated. She didn’t want Bai Yiyue wandering the streets and attracting attention, but everyone else was occupied.
“Fine. Change your clothes first, then go with Xia You to buy the supplies.”
“Oh~ But I didn’t bring any clothes.”
“Upstairs, first room on the right. Grab something from my suitcase. If you do anything suspicious, you’re dead!”
“Got it!” Bai Yiyue saluted playfully before darting upstairs. The thought of wearing Ling Ning’s clothes—even clothes she’d worn—was oddly exciting.
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Walking toward town, Bai Yiyue and Xia You made a strange pair. Bai Yiyue wore a sea-blue Bohemian chiffon dress that Ling Ning had changed out of earlier that day, paired with oversized sunglasses. From a distance, it was impossible to tell she was a celebrity.
“You don’t talk much, do you, Xia You?”
“N-No, I do,” Xia You replied, sneaking a glance at Bai Yiyue’s borrowed dress and biting her lip.
“So, what’s your hobby? Do you like anime?”
After attending a comic convention with Ling Ning, Bai Yiyue had taken a liking to anime. She often watched shows on a major LGBTQ+ site, though the spoilers in the comments annoyed her.
“I like anime,” Xia You said softly.
“Any favorite characters?” Bai Yiyue asked curiously.
“Let’s see… Eriri from Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend, Chihuahua from Oreshura, and Tsubaki from Your Lie in April. I like all of them,” Xia You replied nonchalantly.
Bai Yiyue froze. She had seen all those shows and realized something: Xia You’s favorite characters were all childhood-friend archetypes who lost the love triangle.
“Well, I prefer Hiyori from True Tears and Chisato from KoiChoco. They’re great, aren’t they?” Bai Yiyue countered with a smile.
An almost tangible tension filled the air as a battle of preferences began.
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Author’s Note:
A salted fish only wrote one chapter today. Time to dip into the backlog.